The Economist Magazine on the iPad

Reading on the iPad is a mixed bag. Many love it, many hate it. But there just is not another good alternative, if you want full color digital reading that is not a full computer.

I recently have changed my mind a bit about reading on the iPad. I still prefer my Kindle for traditional long form books. But I have read two books on the iPad recently that were sent to me as PDF files. They did not convert to Kindle format well, but the iBooks app handled the PDF files natively very well.

Where the iPad really makes sense to me is as a magazine or comic book reader. The iPad screen is beautiful. And few screens can easily handle full color quite as well.

I am a fan of the Economist magazine. I have been a subscriber on and off for the past decade. I almost never read the print version (I almost never read the print version of any magazine or newspaper). Before I started this blog (and before my second niece that I nanny was born) I used to listen to the Economist podcast (the full version of the magazine in audio form). But audio is just too time consuming for my current lifestyle. So I thought I would try the iPad edition.

The iPad app is free, and all users get access to the top articles. But you have to be a print or digital subscriber to receive access to the magazine. The cost is fairly high (digital only is $29 a quarter). But I fly Delta airlines just enough to keep my print subscription active using Delta Skymiles.

The app itself mimics the look and feel of the print version. Not like a PDF but as a nicely formated digital magazine. The print size is adjustable, the orientation changes easily on the iPad, the pictures and comics look great. I honestly prefer it to the print version of the magazine.

It is about time to get a new subscription using my Delta Skymiles. I have no desire to waste the print version, but I am not going to read it. So if someone wants the print version. I will have the print magazine mailed to you, but use the digital version to access the articles on the iPad. Just let me know in the comments that you want the print version and email me your address. First come, first served.